This post is by John Watkins, co-director of The Deeper Learning Dozen, and principal at Inquiry & Learning for Change. John is a coach, consultant, researcher, and evaluator with several decades’ experience in systemic reform in educational organizations.

Over the past 15 years, at least since the passage of No Child Left Behind, equity has been more of a conservative than a liberating force in American education.

In the past few months, I have been talking with a number of district leaders who are trying to move their districts toward deeper learning for all.

In a piece we recently published in Ed. Magazine, Sarah Fine and I argued that the “periphery” of schools was often more vital than the core.

If there is one prevalent assumption that stands in the way of deeper learning, it is that you have to do “the basics” before you can engage in deeper learning.